Dreadfall For All - A HTTYD Halloween FanFic Special
by ElianaRobinson.RW
Summary: It's Dreadfall Eve; Heather is minding the next generation of Berk, telling a tale that has an unusual turn, will the night end in tears, or joy…or perhaps both?


**"** **Dreadfall For All"**

 **A HTTYD Halloween FanFic Special**

"Arrr!"

The children all shrieked with fright as the Great Hall doors burst open with the thunderous roar of the wind, thunder and rain.

Heather laughed good naturedly at her children and at those of her friends that were huddled around her on this frightfully dark, cold Dreadfall night.

The youngest of the children she was minding laid her small head upon her lap and cried.

"Oh, sweetheart it's alright, it's just the wind."

Heather comforted her child by stroking her small head as it lay on her lap but her words lost their power as the doors banged open once more, this time to reveal their Father, Fishlegs.

"Ahh, my little ones how are we on this fearsome Dreadfall night!" With a cheery smile he made claw-like actions with his hands and hunched over.

The older children consoled by the knowledge the first crash of the doors had really been the wind and the second their Father coming to greet them, they were all in on their Father's feeble attempts to bring with him the fright of the season.

Their youngest however was more frightened than ever.

"It seems young Melody is a bit frightened." She informed her husband with a slight smile.

The chest nut haired young girl of but two years looked up at her Father and brushed at her tears with a shaky hand.

"Arr, sweetie, it's alright, Daddy's here." He gathered his Daughter up in his strong arms and cradled her close. Heather felt her heart swell at the sight of those she loved most together.

"Auntie Heather could you tell us a story?"

Hiccup and Astrid's five year old adventurous boy looked up at her with eager eyes.

"She can't tell _you_ a story!" His slightly older sister leered, nudging him in the arm.

"You'll be too scared!"

"Would not!" He boasted back with a play-shove at his sister.

Heather laughed at the two perturbed to note they acted more like Ruff and Tuff than they did their parents.

Though Heather mused silently to herself that with his dark, bountiful hair and green eyes young Hiccup was every bit the appearance of his Father and his adventurous spirit and yet gentle and cautious nature mimicked that of Hiccup Senior as well.

His sister, well, she was indeed in spirit, that of her Mother but had her Father's eyes and even her father's ingenuity.

Both were every bit the good, bad and best bits of their dearly loved parents, and every bit their own unique creations.

And yes, even one of her younglings belonged to Ruff and Snotlout! Who'd have thought it!

Not too long ago Ruff had delivered an enchanting young baby girl. _Not_ a Son. As Snotlout had demanded. Ruff had mastered all her strength to punch him when he'd declared the injustice, then Hiccup had handed him his Daughter and all perceived injustices were forgotten. They had all been there to see Father meet Daughter for the first time and they'd all seen Snotlout become completely entranced by his Daughter, Brea.

Though she was now barely a year old Snotlout was indeed:

'Dad Proud'… _excessively_!

Thoughts of a Son long abandoned with only the fleeting mention of it to Ruff next time round.

Ruff had only rolled her eyes. Astrid had suggested he give his wife a break!

Snotlout had good-naturedly agreed and returned all his attention to his baby girl.

As if aware of her thoughts Brea woke with a disgruntle gurgle from her crib beside Heather.

Swiftly, and with ease she rose to gather the mulling baby in her arms, with all the skill and affection of a woman whom enjoyed being a Mother and had been one for some time.

The first of the clan was to Astrid and Hiccup. Everyone was thrilled, none more so than the parents themselves to find that Astrid hadn't been ill but in fact expecting! Astrid had given birth to young Heather aboard Dagur's ship in the middle of a fierce battle between Dagur and Hiccup. After having kidnapped Astrid some months before to entice Hiccup into battle. It had all gone rather wrong, but a vigilant and nurturing Stormfly had taken baby Heather, upon Astrid's orders, to Dragon Island so as baby and Dragon evaded the devastating battle that later ensued.

Astrid had named her Daughter Heather for at the time they'd all believed their friend to be long since dead and had wanted to honour her….Heather smiled. Her friends had amazed and surprised her that day both in their love for each other, but in their affections for her as well.

It was a battle that no one on Berk would ever forget. It was a war to change lives, defeat and conquered many, alliances had changed in unexpected ways and so many lives and secrets had been exposed. Berk wasn't the same anymore, it was a battle that changed the small windblown frozen island like Hiccup's battle with the Red Death had all those years ago.

Cradling Bea to her chest she turned to her other ankle biters and grinned.

Their eager expectant faces gleaming up at her. Cast in half light and shadow by the semi darkness of the great hall and the many candles and blazing Dragon lit fires around them.

The rest of the Gang was off defending the village, the weather and suggestive danger from fellow islands keeping them busy this holiday. Heather had only been deemed baby sitter for the increasingly obvious state of her condition.

Nearly eight months gone with baby number three. She couldn't join the Gang on Windshear even as she wished she could. A devoted and very happy Mother she was more than content to remain behind and take care of the younglings hers and her friends.

"Hiccup, don't hit your sister, and you missy don't hit him. It took your parents nearly twenty years to learn that, I truly hope you two can be smarter." She scolded with a slight twitch of a smile at the thought of her friends and their incessant antics with each other. A deeper play to their emotions beneath, naturally, however they did forget the example they were setting. Berk was a new world. Greatly different to the needlessly barbaric days of old. Oddly enough they had her brother Dagur to thank for the birth of a new world.

A _better_ world.

Heather would never have thought her bother would inadvertently help create a better world. He was so keen on only destroying them…or at least he had been.

Heather turned her thoughts away from the complications and unresolved aspects of her brother and focused on the next generation of Berkians.

"It's no fun anyway…he bruises too easily." Young Heather muttered folding her arms across her chest reminiscent to that of her Mother's aged old gesture.

"Do not!" Young Hiccup proclaimed in earnest at the same time rubbing his left arm from where his sister had struck him playfully. The scene, were they not sibling, would be the spitting image of their parents. Even their ages mimicked that of their Mother and Father's. With young Heather being a few years shire of that of her brother. Tall for her age just like Astrid, then again Heather felt sure young Hiccup would grow above her one day, like Father like Son.

Heather shook her head. Amazed at all that had changed all the good that had been graced upon them all.

"Please Aunty Heather tell us a story?" The children gathered around her pleading bounding up and down upon the spot.

Fishlegs was no help. "Oooh yes, you tell the best stories honey, tell us one." he begged almost as giddy as the children.

Heather relented under their persistent pleas. She had only ever denied Fishlegs that one time….and had denied herself too. She'd never been able to do so ever again. And truly, she'd dared anyone to resit the sweet, insistent pleas of little children.

"Alright, alright." Still cradling baby Brea, she reclaimed her seat and took a deep breath, waiting for the discomfort in her belly to pass.

"Alright, what story shall I tell?"

"One with Dragons!" One child demanded.

"One about Dad!" Young Hiccup softly added.

"That's silly what story of Berk doesn't involve Dad? He's the chief."

Young heather jeered at her brother.

"Actually, Princess there are many stories that date back to before Hiccup became chief, such as your Grandfather, Stoick the vast."

Fishlegs pointed out ignoring the glare that young Heather shot his way for calling her a Princess, even though unofficially she was.

"I know one." Heather exclaimed.

"The Tale of the Letter."

The children all exchanged looks, confused, thinking they were being tricked and resenting the idea.

"What's so scary about a letter?" One of her charges proclaimed.

"Quite a lot, for it not be about the letter but what the letter was about."

Heather began fully entranced in her tale.

Fishlegs beamed. "I don't remember that one…"

Heather looked up at her Husband.

"You weren't there this time, Honey." Oddly enough, Heather realised for the first time in years. Just as well she declared. For the event was bad enough, and had hunted her for many years, has he been there she would not have been able to handle it.

"Does it have Dragons in it?"

Young Hiccup asked keenly. Just as Dragon obsessed as his Father. Then again who on Berk wasn't?

"You're so stupid, it's Berk _of course_ it's about Dragons." His sister pointed out.

"Actually, it all took place on an island we called, 'Dragon's Edge'"

Heather began before drifting off into the long ago, dark tale of one frightful Dreadfall night when none of them had made it off the island alive…..

 _Heather felt the cool breeze brush in from the sea into her hut on Dragon's Edge as she sat huddled in her bed, jumping at every sound, every howl in the distance._

 _Trembling with fright and cold, though she dear not light a fire. For they would see it, and they would come for her._

 _All of them._

 _The Dragons._

 _In the light of the shining full moon, tentativly, soundlessly she reached for the letter that lay under her pillow. A well warn letter that she needn't read again for its sharp, harsh words were etched in her soul. She'd done this; she'd left them all to die._

 _Her friends._

 _"_ _Dear Heather, I hope this reaches you in time, you know you were wrong, so wrong. I know you knew what you were doing that last summer on the Edge, you knew it would turn them all agenist us, still you tricked us and then left us to die."_

 _Heather felt the tears fall once more as she read Astrid's letter to her._

 _"_ _You know when Hiccup died, you sent a letter I finally had your return address and now I hope you learn the true nature of the mess you've made. I really hope this reaches you, go back to the Edge, see our bodies, see what you've done to your friends!"_

 _Heather cried silent tears as she read, hearing Astrid's voice, so filled with hate, and fear as she lay dying, writing this letter having been attacked by a Nadder's poisonous spine._

 _Stormfly's spine._

 _Heather hadn't known she'd rushed back the minute she'd received Astrid's Terrible Terror, but it was too late. She had found three chard funeral boats and had to send afloat a fourth for Astrid's dead body. She'd fallen down dead halfway through writing another letter, the corners scared with spilt ink as she had fallen atop the table._

 _"_ _I hope this reaches you," the words had said, with profanities of mutton-heads and worse, blaming her for their deaths, but she hadn't known! It was just some fun, she'd not known it would affect their Dragons or that upon her return the same unknown thing had overtaken Windshear, and she had disappeared, always to return each night with the others, to attack the Edge, to attack her!_

 _She knew they'd not stop until she was dead too. She didn't understand and trying to reclaim her precious Windshear she'd suffered a nasty wound. She'd looked in Windshear's eyes and they were blank, cold, soulless._

 _She'd been trying for over a week now to defend the Edge, to stay alive on this haunted island. Haunted by ghosts and Dragons._

 _Every where she saw memories of times with her friends, heard Astrid's voice echo._

 _She didn't know what was affecting their Dragons; she'd not called for help from Berk for fear of telling them their children were dead._

 _She was a coward, she was alone, tired and they were coming for her._

 _She didn't know how long she'd be able to fight them off, her survival instincts kicked in but she had no heart to kill them._

 _What of when she was gone? Would the Dragon's leave and would the Dragon's Edge poison in their blood infect others? Would Dragon fury sweep like a plague across the Archipelago turning all Dragons and killing all Vikings?_

 _Had she unwittingly caused the end of the world?_

 _She began to cry once more, her tears falling on Astrid's letter, smudging the ink, blurring the words._

 _She heard a sound behind her and knew._

 _"_ _Windshear …"_

 _She turned holding her breath, too tired to fight, too powerless to ever win._

 _Guilt stricken into defeat._

 _She closed her eyes, anticipating her death, almost grateful, perhaps in Valhalla she could tell Astrid how sorry she was? She never meant for this to happen, didn't know how it had!_

 _Windshear inhaled to breathe fire, her tail poised, fire and steel was to be how she'd die, Heather thought with a thunderous heartbeat as she waited for her beloved Dragon to strike._

 _BANG!_

"ARRRRR!"

With a shriek the children all screamed as the Great Hall doors banged open in the storm.

"Hey…it's just us." Hiccup said as he walked into the hall with the others.

The children raced from the floor at Heather's feet and raced to their parents, all throwing themselves into their arms.

Both Astrid and Hiccup almost crashed to the floor under the weight of their children attacking them and clutching to their legs and arms in terror.

"Oh, thank Thor you're okay!" Young Heather exclaimed burring her head into her Mother's arms, her voice laced with uncharacteristic tears.

"What in Thor's name is going on?" Hiccup asked a touch of concern in his voice. He looked up at Heather sitting in the chair with a sleeping Brea.

Astrid soother her Daughter's hair lovingly as they each held a child.

"Heather what did you do to our kids." Astrid laughingly asked.

"It's Dreadfall, I just told them a story. I think I might have told it to them a little strong."

It had been far worse to experience. Dare it make a difference if she told them it had all been a horrible, _realistic_ nightmare? She'd had back on Dragon's Edge one Dreadfall night?

"Ya, think?" Hiccup laughed.

"It's alright Son, it's just a story."

"Nightmare, actually, you told them about that letter nightmare you had, what ten holiday's ago?"

Astrid asked walking her family closer into the warmth of the hall. Their Dragon's followed in and young Hiccup shied back behind his Father's metal leg, from Toothless as he walked in.

Toothless looked at the boy, titling his head confused.

"Hey, it's alright; Toothless would never hurt any of us."

Hiccup tried to comfort his Son.

"Well, except for Stoick, and you with the leg thing and then there's-"

"Yes, thank you tuff, not helping." Hiccup glared at Ruff and Tuff as they entered the Great Hall too, joining the conversion. Ruff put up her hands insulted.

" _Hey_ , turn that 'Viking chief, turn me to stone' glare at him I didn't say it!"

"That's because you're too gorgeous," Snotlout sweetly leered as he put an arm around his Wife.

Ruff tossed his arm off her and gave her Husband a shove.

"Forget it, Snotlout you ain't getting a Son."

"Not this side of Snoggletog, anyway." Tuff quipped from pointlessly behind his hand making out he was trying to whisper. It didn't work when he spoke at clearly hearable octaves.

Ruff thumped her brother in the chest.

"What?"

Snotlout exclaimed. Oddly enough actually catching on quickly to what was being said.

Ruff sighed folding her arms over her chest.

"Fine! My brother and his big mouth, was going to tell him on Snoggletog morning!" she mumbled.

"Snotlout, I'm pregnant, _again_!" She whined even though they all knew she had a nurturing, soft side to her and that she was happy to be having another child.

"WHAT?!" Snotlout was beside himself. Racing round to everyone.

"I'm goanna be a Dad, I'm goanna be a Dad, I mean me-I-we, I'm goanna be a Dad again!" He all but dance with pride and glee. Ruff lovingly ignored her Husband and gently took her baby from Heather and cradled her close. Her damp clothing woke Brea, and the baby began to cry lightly, disgruntled.

Ruff rolled her eyes as Snotlout continued in the background to re-tell everyone needlessly their good news.

"Just like her Father, can't shut em' up!" Though she smiled as she hugged her baby. The Gang laughed at their friend's antic's as Melody meet up with her Husband and draped her arms around his neck as they returned with the rest of the Gang. Hildegarde came to embrace her Husband at which point the Gang playfully, gaged in unison and shied away.

"Urgh! Get a room, there's children here!" Ruff told her brother. Soon drink and merriment were running wild and laughter of both children, Dragons and their riders echoed like music throughout the Great Hall. Old fears forgotten.

Heather suddenly gasped. Clutching her middle. Fear and alarm over taking her as swiftly as the pain had.

She tried to breathe but it was difficult.

She was having the baby!

"Arr, um… Fishlegs…Honey….I'm I think we need to find Gothi. I'm having the baby _now_."

Her Husband went pale and hobbled upon the spot in a panic.

"Oh, Thor! Oh, Thor! Oh, Thor!"

"FISHLEGS! If you say that name once more I'm going to punch you! Everything will be alright, we've been through this twice before remember?"

She tried to reassure him and perhaps herself. It was after all too soon. How could this been happening?

Within seconds she was whisked gently atop Toothless' back and taken, under a blanket of protection from the rain, to Gothi's.

It was nearly dawn when the enthusiastic, disgruntled cries of a newborn rang out across Berk, mixing with the "aw" sound of the Dragon Riders and the singing Terrible Terrors on the rooftops.

But there was one distinct difference to the infant's cry….it seemed to echo itself in perfect unison.

"Fishlegs! You have twins!" Hiccup explained as they gathered around Heather in bed holding one of her children and in Astrid's arms lay the other.

Her second eldest stared on in wonder at her siblings from beside the bed as her Father freaked out.

"Oh, Thor oh-" (thump)

He grunted as young Melody smacked her Father in the gut.

"I got you covered, Mom." She beamed confident she'd made good on her Mother's earlier promise to hit her Father if he said the mighty Thor's name again.

The Gang all laughed both originals and extended.

Heather looked up from her newborn to Hiccup, with a smile.

"Seems I'm not the only one teaching our kids bad habits." She teased. As Astrid handed Heather's other baby over to a more placid, still oh-so-proud, Fishlegs.

Before swotting her own Husband in the arm.

"Ow!" He exclaimed a frown of puzzlement appearing as he rubbed at his bruised arm.

"What was that for?"

She brushed her hair from her face, a big teasing grin curling the corner of her lips.

"Just making a point." She stated simply.

"Oh, yeah?" He asked an equal teasing glint in his eyes. As he drew her swiftly into his arms.

"Come here you!" He playfully demanded before leaning forward and claiming her laughing mouth in a searing, passionate kiss.

"I don't even know how twins are possible; Ingerman's don't have any twins in their bloodline."

"How do you know their yours?" Tuff teased, before Fishlegs could do more than take a step towards him in fury, Heather raised a staying, light hand to his chest, stopping him.

"He's only teasing you, Honey ignore him. Besides he knows if it were true Hilda would kill him faster than you could."

It was true at that moment Hilda was glaring madly at her Husband her hands on her hips. Tuff turned to his wife, a sheepish grin on his face as her raised his hands in surrender.

"Only joking."

She didn't seem convinced.

"Honestly."

"Relaxed. It's quite possible Fishlegs." Heather added.

All's well with the world once more Tuff noticed Hiccup and Astrid's extended embrace and turned his witty charm and humour on them.

"Oh, please cut it out you two, at this rate there will be a Berkian population boom! What with milady and I expecting one…" He announced with a seemingly casual arm draped around his wife. "Some time round Ruff's bundle of joy!" He added in undertones to his sister.

Implying the completely unintentional coincidence and timing of their babies.

"Hey, I was here first!" Ruff exclaimed going head to head with her brother till their helmets locked horns with a clank that disrupted all babies new and present.

"Some things never change." Heather called out over the squabbling of the Twins, the cries of other babies and the worried calls of Snotlout as Ruff and Tuff play fought off the steps of Gothi's hut.

"Be careful with my woman!" Snotlout demanded chasing after them.

Hiccup joined the others in their festive laughter and joy, drawing Astrid into his arms.

"Yep, same story, different year."

END

Eliana Robinson

1/12/16

 **CREATION DATE –** 4 **/11/** **16**

 **PUBLISH DATE – 1/** **12/16**

 ** _Dreadfall For All_** _Disclaimer_

 **DREADFALL FOR ALL** **\- is a Fanfiction of HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON I do not own the characters or original plotline.**

PLOTLINE **: It's Dreadfall Eve; Heather is minding the next generation of Berk, telling a tale that has an unusual turn, will the night end in tears, or joy…or perhaps both?**

 **This story is** _NOT_ **for official publication or profit.**

 **DREADFALL FOR ALL** **is a short tale in an unofficially link series between all my HTTYD fanfics and is purely meant as entertainment.**

 **CREATION DATE –** **4** **/11/** **16**

 **PUBLISH DATE – 1/** **12/16**

 ** _Now a part of the 'Dragon Adventures' Series by Eliana Robinson_**

 **NOTE: 'Dreadfall' is the official term for How To Train Your Dragon original series which is the equivalent of Halloween. This is not my creation only the fanfic story around it is mine.**

 **Hope you enjoyed. Please leave a comment.**


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